Tag Archives: hair

I got a sample of their sea salt texturizing spray in one of my Birchboxes, and I finally got around to actually using it. I have had bad luck with sea salt sprays in the past – they just made my hair crunchy and dirty-looking – so I was reluctant to try this. I was happily surprised when, not only did this stuff smell amazing, but it also works great! Adds texture and that beachy wavy look I wanted, without the negative side effects I had previously encountered. I liked it so much that when I happened upon the brand at Target last week, I also decided to try the smoothing lotion and the heat protectant spray. Both are also great! Definitely impressed so far, so I recommend giving the brand a try!

This year, I’ve made an effort to expand my collection of beauty products. I’ve tried a lot of new things, in part thanks to my Birchbox subscription. I thought it might be helpful to share my new favorites from this year! Here we go!

Favorite Leave In Conditioner

Seriously, this stuff is AH-MAY-ZING. It’s $21.95 for the full-size bottle and is available exclusively through Birchbox. I have never had a conditioner leave my hair so soft and silky, especially without weighing it down. It’s also helped in my endeavor to grow my hair longer because it reduces tangling and makes my hair healthier. Seriously in LOVE with this stuff.

Favorite Concealer

Fakeup concealer by Benefit is awesome. I have really terrible under-eye circles because my allergies are so terrible. There’s nothing I can do but cover them up, which has been nearly impossible. I got a sample of this in my Birchbox one month, and I went to pick up the full size at Ulta within a week! It moisturizes, conceals, and brightens… all without caking or creasing. I opted for the light color, and it blends really well with my skin tone. At $24 for the full size, it’s a bit on the pricier side, but definitely worth it!

Favorite Blush

My previous favorite blush somehow managed to break into a million little pieces, so I was searching for just the right replacement hue. This perfect peachy pink shimmer popped up in my Birchbox at just the right time, and I really love the color! It’s not too pink, not too brown, not too coral-y… it’s just the right blend of warm and cool tones for my shin and really brightens up my face. At $20, it’s a little more pricey than its drugstore counterparts, but I looked everywhere and couldn’t find a color I liked even half as much. Love it!

Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner

As I explained in my earlier post about growing out my hair, I discovered that using good hair products really does make a difference. This is my favorite shampoo and conditioner duo. Not only does it leave my hair silky, smooth, and healthy, but the conditioner smells fantastic and leaves a spa-like tingly sensation on your scalp. Again, more pricey than the stuff you can buy at your local grocery store, but worth every single penny!

Favorite Eye Shadow Palette

I am such a fan of this nude-hued matte palette. The range of shades lets you go from natural to dramatic, and there’s no shimmer or glitter to irritate my eyes. It’s great for everyday makeup looks! Not only that, but the quality is amazing. It’s so much smoother and lasts so much longer than the drugstore shadows I had previously been buying! It’s $27, which initially seemed like a lot to me. Then I added up how much it would cost me to build my own matte palette like this one, and $27 started to seem like a good deal. Besides, it blows the drugstore brands out of the water with its quality.

Favorite Eyeshadow Primer

I had never used an eyeshadow primer before I tried a travel size of this, but I’m so glad that I did! It definitely does make a difference… eyeshadow goes on smoother and more evenly, lasts longer, and doesn’t crease or smear. Awesome to use every day, but especially on special occasions! At $12 for the travel size and $20 for the full size, it’s definitely worth the investment!

Favorite Mascara

One of my friends gifted me with this miracle mascara, and it’s great! Makes my lashes look longer without any clumping, and comes off relatively easily without smudging. Plus, since this isn’t one of the big name brands, it’s relatively inexpensive. It’s less than $8 at most places I’ve seen it. Good stuff!

Favorite Nail Polish

Anyone who knows me knows how difficult it is for me to choose ONE favorite nail polish for the year. I am obsessed and feel like I love them all! But I keep coming back to this one. It works throughout every season, and it’s a good balance of sparkly fun without being overdone. The holographic silver shimmers so pretty in the sunlight, but it’s not an overpowering chunky glitter that’s inappropriate for more formal settings. I like it so much that I’ve already gone through about half the bottle! Although butter LONDON lacquers are $15 a pop, I’m willing to spend the extra cash for colors that I adore, like this one.

Favorite Lip Color

I actually haven’t bought the full size of this one yet ($22.50) because I’m still working on the sample I got from Sephora. I pretty much always forget about my lips when I do my makeup, so I appreciate that this is easy to carry along. It is light and fresh and goes on more like a chapstick or lip balm than a gloss or lipstick. I really like the consistency, and it adds just enough color to bring life to my lips without making a big statement.

What are some of your favorite beauty finds from this year? Or classics that you just can’t get enough of? Please share them in the comments! I’m always looking for something new to try, and I’m much more likely to do so with a recommendation than just browsing a store. Hope you enjoyed!

I have been trying to grow out my hair for… years. Granted, a huge part of the problem is that 1) I get bored easily and ask my stylist for a cut that “looks like I just got my hair cut” (often chopping off an inch or more) once in a while and 2) I had tons of relatively short layers that take ages to grow out. But, I have a wedding in 6 months, so I’m getting more serious about hair health and growth.

I didn’t believe it in years past, but I really think that the quality of the products you use on your hair makes a big difference. About 4 months ago, I stopped using shampoos and conditioners that you can buy at your local grocery store or drugstore. Instead, I only use the kinds I can buy at salons and beauty supply stores. I get my hair highlighted, so it needs a lot of extra TLC. I primarily use Pureology Hydrate shampoo and conditioner. It works fantastically (my hair is healthier and silkier than ever) and because it’s more concentrated, it lasts a long time. You only have to use a small amount, unlike some brands where you have to just pour it on. As an added bonus, the conditioner has a peppermint ingredient that smells amazing and makes your scalp feel awesome! I can’t say enough about this stuff! Then, about once a week or every two weeks (depending on how my hair is looking), I use this purple shampoo and conditioner to cut down on brassiness. Obviously, I’m a fan considering I wrote an entire post on it. It’s still working for me, and I haven’t had to buy more since I wrote that post almost a year ago!

It matters where you get your hair done. If you go to a cheap stylist who doesn’t care about the health of your hair, it will be a problem over time.

If you have processed or color treated hair, it requires a lot of extra help! Everyone has different hair types and needs. Just because your friend uses a certain product, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

Always, ALWAYS use a heat protectant when you use straighteners, curling irons, blow dryers, etc.!

Yes, these products and stylists are significantly more expensive than the stuff you buy at Wal Mart. I know, that was why I didn’t used to invest in it. But then I started thinking about it, and is it more important to save a few bucks, or have awesome hair? I have to “wear” my hair every single day. Why wouldn’t I spend the money to take care of it when I’m willing to spend that much on a shirt that I might wear once or twice a month?

After following all of these tips for the past few months, I finally feel like my hair is “getting long.”

I hope you find this helpful! Do you have any tips for growing out your hair? If so, please share them in the comments!

Have you wanted to try something new and funky with your hair without the commitment?

I’m in law school, so it’s difficult for me to do much crazy with my style or appearance. I’m a professional individual, but I’m an individual nonetheless! Sometimes, I just want to try something fun, like putting purple streaks in my blonde hair. But I have to go to class, I have interviews, and I’m an adult. So how can I do both?

I saw the idea for hair chalking in a few places. Lauren Conrad mentioned it on her blog some time ago, and I’ve also seen it on Pinterest. I happened to be near a beauty supply store, and I stopped in to see what they had available. I picked up Beyond the Zone Color Buzz Party Purple hair chalk, and I was anxious to see how it would turn out.

Pros:

It washed out pretty easily. Some spots took two full washes, but most of it came out in the first shower.

It looked pretty cool!

You can put the streaks wherever you want.

It was fun to do something different for one day/night.

Hair chalk comes in a bunch of colors.

Cons:

IT GOT EVERYWHERE. Definitely do not do this to your hair without covering up everything you don’t want covered in chalk dust. I’m still finding it in my bathroom months later. Absolutely cover your clothes with a towel or something similar, I recommend wearing gloves if you can, and maybe do it in the shower or something so it doesn’t land all over counters, sinks, and floors. If you’re wearing your hair down, do NOT wear a light color shirt!

When I ran a brush through my hair, it blended the color and made the streaks less pronounced.

I expected the color to come out in the first wash (with two shampoos), but some of it didn’t. I wouldn’t recommend this technique if you have something important to do the following day.

It was a little expensive (about $8) for something I don’t foresee using very often. If it wasn’t SO messy, I would probably consider using it more frequently. But like I said, my entire bathroom was basically covered in purple dust.

Here are some photos:

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions or recommendations in the comments!

For just a moment, I seriously considered ombre highlights for my next hair appointment. Then I realized that the style really looks best on loose wavy curls and long, thick hair… none of which I have. So… I’ve moved on. But, in the meantime, I realized just how cute this style can be and how amazing it can look on some women. Here are a few of my faves…

Lauren Conrad, the style master!

Jessica Biel – nicely done!

Whitney Port proves ombre can work for blondes, too.

Drew Barrymore

These are jsut a few celebrities who have gone with the ombre trend. You can find tons more if you’re really interested. I think it looks really fun and beachy, but can also be dressed up, as you can see here. As far as I’ve read, it seems as though you only have to touch up about 2-3 times a year, which would be AMAZING considering that I generally feel I need to have highlights touched up almost every month. Truthfully, I can’t afford the $100+ every month, so this style would be great if only I could pull it off. Oh well, I guess I’ll leave this one to the red carpet!

Let me know if you have any fun hair tips and trends you’d like to share!

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UPDATE TO THIS POST:

So… In December, I inadvertently ended up with an ombre look to my hair. I initially wanted to have my hair brought back to its natural color to promote health and growth, and to make it easier to keep up. I got tired of the constant highlights, the cost involved, and the damage it was doing to my hair. However, it came out much darker than expected, and my stylist tried to mut that by lightening the ends to create an ombre effect.

If you intend to do ombre highlights, make sure that you choose a stylist that is familiar with the technique, does it often, and does it well. Otherwise, it doesn’t come out quite right.

In addition, I had initially looked into ombre because I thought it would be low-maintenance, but that’s not quite true. I hadn’t considered that blonde fades and becomes brassy, which I don’t care for. So I ended up with my hair 1) growing out so I still had roots [because the base color she used was darker than my natural color], 2) a combination of colors I didn’t really want, and 3) the lighter shade faded and got a somewhat orangey-brassy tone to it, which I hated. If you get ombre highlights, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no need to get highlights or treatments often. You’ll still have to do a decent amount of maintenance to keep the color of the blonde a color you like, which I hadn’t considered!

In short, ombre highlights can look great on some people, but I’m not one of them. If you plan to duplicate the red carpet looks seen above, I recommend asking your sylist about his or her experience doing ombre highlights and I would also see if they have any photos of other clients that they have created the look for so you can see how well they do with it and if you like the effect.

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